Chlorinated polyethylene foams have been known in the art for many years. Generally, such foams have been closed-cell rigid or semi-rigid polymeric structures as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,335,101 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,498,934. Such foams have found applications in areas other than those in which soft, flexible vinyl foams are utilized. U.S. Pat. No. 3,819,543 discloses the preparation of chlorinated polyethylene foams by heating a mixture of chlorinated high pressure polyethylene, organic peroxide crosslinking agent and expanding agent. Such foams have also been found to be deficient for applications wherein soft, flexible vinyl foams are utilized.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide closed-cell, soft, flexible chlorinated polyethylene foam which may be used in applications heretofore requiring the use of soft, flexible vinyl foams.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved process for the making of such foam.
Other and related objects and advantages will become evident from the following specification and claims.